Mail-catcher.



Patented May 10, 1910.

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ANDREW a, GRANAM m. Puma nMGRAPHms. wmnmmou, n a

APPLICATION TILED OCT. 2, 1909.

v S: G. STAYMATES.

' MAIL GATOHER.

Patented ma 10, 1910.

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$543 I QM dummy ANDRiW a, GRAHAM m PPHOTOMTHDGRAFHERE WASHINGTON. no

SAMUEL G. STAYMATES, OF WALL, PENNSYLVANIA.

MAIL-CATCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed October 2, 1909.

Patented May 10, 1910. Serial No. 520,691.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL G. STAY- MATES, citizen of the United States, residing at all, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail- Oatchers, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention has been to evise a simple and novel construction of mail catcher adapted to efiectively receive and support a bag of mail delivered from a moving train, and of a construction effective to eliminate likelihood of the mail being accidentally dropped and sucked beneath the moving train and destroyed.

he invention is of the type of mail catchers embodying diverging catching arms between which the bag of mail is caught and supported.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following detail description and to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a top plan view showing an apparatus built in accordance with the in vention, the delivery hook of the mail car being illustrated in the position in which it delivers mail to the mail catcher, the arms of the catcher being shown in dotted lines in the positions assumed thereby after having been operated and in delivering a bag of mail; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the mail catcher disposed in proper relation to a railway track, the delivery hook being arranged above the catcher as when delivering a bag of mail thereto; Fig. 3 is a transy erse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a transverse sect-ion on the line 44 of Fig. l, and Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 55 of Fig. 1. 1

Throughout the following detail description and on the several figures-of the drawings similar parts are referred to by like reference characters.

Referring to the drawings and specifically describing the present invention the numeral 1 denotes a supporting post designed to be located at one side of a railway track in the customary manner and carrying a suitable supporting bracket 2 at the upper outer end portion of which is a head 3. Pivotally mounted 011 the head 3 are catcher arms 4 which when in their operative positions are held in divergent relation by means of a toggle joint 5 constituting a spreader in this particular instance. The arms 4 are pivoted to a block 6 slidable on the head 3 and normally held in the position shown in Fig. 1 by means of a spring 7 interposed between the rear end of the head and the rear end of the block. 7

The purpose in providing the block 6 is to permit the arms 4 to yield rearwardly under the shock incidental to delivery of a bag of mail thereto. Projecting forwardly from the bracket 2 is a rigid horizontal arm 8 at the. outer end of which is arranged a trans verse guide 9. The guide 9 consists of a rectangular frame in which the arms 4 are adapted to slide toward and from one an other. A pin 10 connecting the arm 8 and guide frame 9 forms an intermediate stop cooperating with the arms 4 to prevent said arms from moving past a point centrally of the length of said guide. With each arm 4 is connected a weight 11, each weight being attached to a cord 12 which passes over a pulley on the arm 8 and is then connected with the arm 4 at the remote side of said arm 8. The tendency of the weights 11 is to force the arms 4 together or toward the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1. Mounted on each of the arms 4 is a bufi'er 13, said bufi'er comprising a casing in which is mounted a sliding plunger 14, the plunger having a head adapted to be engaged by the rear side of one member of the toggle 5, a spring 15 being provided and arranged in the casing of the buffer to hold the plunger 14 projecting outwardly therefrom in the position shown in Fig. l. The object in providing the buffers 13 is to employ a means in rear of the toggle 5 to engage the members of said toggle when the said members are struck by the mail bag, and to relieve some what the concussion incidental to the delivery of the sack of mail from the book 16 on the mail car to the catcher.

In the actual use of the invention the parts are in the normal positions shown in Fig. 1. As a train passes the sack or bag of mail is supported on the hook 16 which travels above the arms 4 and is adapted therefore to deliver the sack of mail to the catcher, the sack striking the horizontal portion of the toggle 5 and breaking the joint by forcing the members of the toggle rearwardly. The above action causes the toggle members to grip the sack of mail at opposite sides and forces the arms 4 inwardly, the action being assisted by the weights 1 When the sack of mail strikes the members of the catcher 1 2. In a mail catcher, the combination of a 20* the shock is relieved also by rearward move- 1 supporting bracket having a head thereon, a ment of the block 6 to which the arms 4: are block yieldingly mounted to slide on said pivoted, such rearward movement compresshead, catcher arms pivoted at their rear ends ing the spring 7. to the head, a toggle joint connecting the The spring may be substituted for the front end portions of the arms to hold the 25 weights 11 so as to tend to force the arms 4; same apart, buffers carried by the arms to together when the toggle joint '5 is broken. engage-the members of the toggle joint when Havlng thus descrlbed the lnventlon, what said oint is broken, means normally tendlng is claimed as new is: to force the catcher arms together, and a 1. A mail catcher comprising a supportguide in which the catcher arms slide inter- 3o mediate of their ends In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence oftwo witnesses. 7

ing bracket, spaced arms plvotally mounted on said bracket, a spreading toggle omt connecting adjacent end portions of said arms and normally holdin them in spaced SAMUEL G. STAY-MATES- relation, and buffers carrie by the arms and engageable with the members of the toggle \Vitnesses:

joint when said joint is broken by impact of J OHN DUECUSTER,

a sack of mail therewith. CLINTON H. STAYMATES. 

